Stackers are typically employed to form signature bundles of a predetermined count and must be capable of operating at speeds which permit the counting and stacking of signatures without the necessity for any reduction in the speed of the press conveyor delivering signatures to the stacker, at speeds of up to and even greater than 80,000 per hour.
Conventional designs typically utilize drives and/or mechanisms, such as clutches and brakes which abruptly stop and start the stacking section and/or require physical stops or other members which are movable into and out of the path of the stacking apparatus, thus resulting in undue and hence premature wearing and even breakage of stacker components, in addition to the significant amount of noise generated by such conventional equipment.